Since I recently became aware of Now You See Me 2’s (2016) existence, I figured I should go ahead and review it.  Actually, that is being uncharitable.  If memory serves, I recall seeing Now You See Me at some point close to its premier and enjoying it more then than I did in my latest viewing.  At the time, though, it was fine and would have gladly seen Now You See Me 2 more immediately than nine years after its release.  I think I may have even watched a trailer for it, but it evidently did not stand out and I moved on with my life.  Anyway, this is me filling in a gap in my film catalog for The Legionnaire.

What Now You See Me 2 attempts to fill you in on at the beginning is the background of the shadowy leader behind the Four Horsemen, the group of fugitive magicians wanted for stealing money in the previous movie.  That shadowy leader is Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), currently working for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  He is the son of another well-known charmer, Lionel Shrike (Richard Laing), who dies during the flashback at the start during a trick gone wrong, happening as a young Dylan (William Henderson) is present.  So, too, is magic debunker and former partner to Lionel, Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), whom Dylan grows up blaming for his father’s death.  Another contextualization is the other person against whom Dylan holds a grudge, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), whose faulty safe and lack of willingness to pay out on Lionel’s insurance policy added to the son’s desire for revenge.  Vengeance happened a year and a half ago, leaving the world wondering as to the current whereabouts of the Four Horsemen.  One of their number, J. Daniel “Danny” Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), is seeking to get out from under Dylan’s leadership by speaking directly to “The Eye,” the secretive, ancient organization of magicians that seek to address societal injustices.  Danny is frustrated that they have been preparing for an unknown new mission and is feeling like Dylan is stalling them.  Danny’s seeking leads him to an underground lair seemingly linked to The Eye, and he is told that the moment is coming when he will assume a greater role.  The opportunity apparently comes when Dylan informs them of the Four Horsemen’s next target.  An up-and-coming technology giant, Owen Case (Ben Lamb), has created a new computer chip that he plans to use to collect data on everyone, as well as being able to hack into any system around the world.  With a new addition to their team, Lula May (Lizzy Caplan), they do their typical chicanery and are about to expose Owen for a monster when their performance is interrupted by a digital manifestation that reveals all their secrets to the world.  This includes Dylan’s association, which means he is now on the run from the FBI.  As for the Four Horsemen, in the process of making their own escape, they jump into a rooftop garbage shoot in New York City, and land in a restaurant in Macau, China.  As they confusedly wander into the dining room, they are greeted by Chase McKinney (Woody Harrelson).  He is the twin brother of Four Horsemen mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), and they share the mentalist powers of hypnotism. However, because the siblings had a falling out at some point in the unseen past, Chase has nothing but ill-will for Merritt.  Hence, it is Chase that had set them up and brings the Four Horsemen to Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe).  Walter is a one-time partner of Owen, but had faked his own death in a desire to steal Owen’s technology for himself.  Walter wants the Four Horsemen to do it for him, but he has an added motivation.  Walter is Arthur’s illegitimate, though favored, son, and he wants to get even with them.  All of the Four Horsemen are prepared to turn down the threatened cooperation, but it is Danny that sees them pulling off the heist as the only way to get out of their predicament.  Besides, he believes by going to The Eye, which is prominent in Macau, they can get some assistance.  Meanwhile, wanting to locate The Four Horsemen, Dylan turns to Thaddeus, the latter apparently having information as to their whereabouts. Getting Thaddeus out of jail, he and Dylan travel to Macau where Thaddeus’ sources tell him they will be.  It leads them to a shop selling magical gadgets where the Four Horsemen had come to get supplies.  While there, Thaddeus manages to slip away from Dylan, who is still able to get information as to his team’s whereabouts.  Dylan is sent to the place where Danny is about to give the technology to The Eye.  Dylan knows it is a set-up and tries to keep Danny from being captured by Walter’s minions.  Though he stops Danny from being caught, it is Dylan that is brought before Arthur, who has come to see Dylan’s demise at Walter’s hands.  Dylan is dropped into the bay in the same kind of safe in which his father died, succeeding to get out unlike dad but still needing to be rescued by the Four Horsemen.  They have also managed to hang on to the MacGuffin they boosted, and reveal to the world that they plan an elaborate ruse in London, England, on New Year’s Eve.  With the FBI and other law enforcement agencies watching, they lead the police to the real criminals, Arthur, Chase, and Walter.  With that, Dylan and the Four Horsemen head to the Greenwich Observatory, which doubles as a headquarters for The Eye.  There, Thaddeus speaks with Dylan, finally letting on that the older man had nothing to do with Lionel’s tragic accident.

After Dylan and Thaddeus’ tête-à-tête at the end of Now You See Me 2, there is some kind of big reveal that we are not shown.  I guess it was meant as a cliffhanger for a third movie, but they sure have taken their time in getting around to making it.  Perhaps this makes sense since time is a recurring theme in this series.  In talking about the previous film, I mentioned how the decades of planning Dylan spent to get even with Thaddeus was not Christian behavior.  One can make the same argument about the long-held grudges on Arthur and Walter’s part.  Yet, let us take this a step further with one of the more interesting lines from the sequel.  For much of the runtime, Dylan carries the Fool tarot card, it being left in his vicinity when his cover with the FBI had been blown.  Later, Bu Bu (Tsai Chin), member of The Eye, talks about how that is a strength rather than a weakness.  In her view, such a person is powerful because he/she has a “clean slate.”  My Catholic brain went immediately to the Sacrament of Reconciliation when I heard this statement.  When we sin, it can be said that we are less powerful because it separates us from God.  Because He is all-powerful, greater than the devil and his dominions, being less close to God is, by definition, a lowering of ourselves.  Nonetheless, we have recourse through Confession.  Upon emerging from the Confessional, we have regained that state of grace.  Of course, this might look like a never-ending cycle of doing bad, admitting it, and being good until temptation comes to again ruin our lives.  There is truth in that statement, but it is a flat description that ignores the power present in the part of the cycle that restores our connection to God.  At the same time, while I went down this spiritual rabbit hole by reflecting on one moment in the movie, there is not a perfect parallel with it and these thoughts on Reconciliation.  If nothing else, I suppose the conversation at the end between Dylan and Thaddues has the kind of purgative effect that sort of approximates what happens during Confession.  Either way, try Reconciliation for yourself some time.  You might be surprised with how you feel after it.

How I feel about Now You See Me 2 is little different from its predecessor.  It is fine, and again I am thankful they are less about sorcery than pulling off elaborate tricks that amount to making them heist movies.  It is also acceptable, to a small degree, that they use their talents for good.  I would rather they use them in other ways, or to watch something else, but it is okay for now.